racebending.com
RACEBENDING.COM
on Social Media, Activism, and Star Trek
racebending.com
our mission statement
Through organized boycott, education, and
communication with Hollywood representatives, we
encourage studios to create television and film that reflect the true richness of the American people.
racebending.com
Overview
• Racebending.com: Impact of Media
• Using Social Media in Community Organizing
racebending.comracebending.com
What started all this?
racebending.com
avatar: the last airbender
racebending.com
racebending.com
children and the media
• meaningful conversations with parents (weekly):
38.5 minutes
• average time spent watching TV (weekly):
1,680 minutes
racebending.com
children and the media
• prefer watching TV over being with dad (age 4-6):
54%• average time spent in school (per year):
900 hours• average time watching TV (per year):
1500 hours
racebending.com
do children see race?
racebending.com
a look at blackface
racebending.com
what is yellowface?
1. The application of prostheses and/or paint to simulate a crude idea of what “Asians” look like
2. Non-Asian bodies controlling what it means to be Asian on screen and stage [also: whitewashing]
racebending.com
yellowface: dr. lao
racebending.com
yellowface: kung fu
racebending.com
yellowface: rob schneider
racebending.com
Awareness Test
racebending.com
Representations in Media
• What are some positive examples you’ve observed of your identity in media? (race, gender, sexuality, etc.)
• What are some negative examples?
• What sort of portrayal have you never seen but would love to see on screen?
racebending.com
Sometimes Aliens are Brown
racebending.com
Other Campaigns
racebending.com
Representations in Media
racebending.com
Film Leads by the Big Six, 2000-2009
White males, 65.3%
White females,
21.1%
Black males,8.2%
White males
White females
Black males
Black females
Asian males
Asian females
Latino males
Latina females
Native American males
Hawaiian females
Persian males
Multiracial females
racebending.com
Using Social Mediain Community Organizing
Translating online connections tooffline action
racebending.com
Questions to Answer
• Why is social media important?• How can social media be used to:
o raise awareness?o foster dialogue about issues?o organize movements?
• How can you use social media?
racebending.com
What is Social Media?
• Creation and exchange of user-generated content
• Interactive, wide-reaching dialogue• Decentralized, fluid, and immediate
racebending.com
Examples of Social Media Uses
The basics:
• Sharing• Responding• Collaborating
racebending.com
Importance of Social Media
Why is social media important?
racebending.com
Pitfalls of Social Media
• Slacktivism – people with a false impression of activism
– Examples: Iran election on Twitter,
– Online does not translate offline
racebending.com
Successes of Social Media
What are some examples of successful social media campaigns?
racebending.com
Donald for Spider-Man
• Twitter campaign by actor Donald Glover.
• Far-reaching impact: Stan Lee gave his approval.
• Failed to get Donald Glover an audition.
racebending.com
Donald for Spider-Man
racebending.com
And of course...
Racebending.com!
racebending.com
How we used Social Media
• Forming a community
o Creating a communal hub• Raising awareness
o Creating a informational hubo .. then sharing it
• Building connectionso Fostering dialogueo Networking
• Organizing a communityo Leveraging membership for mini-campaignso Taking the energy offline
racebending.com
Birth on LiveJournal
racebending.com
Inventing the term “Racebending”
• Intersection of race and pop culture
• Unique case where fandom became involved in a socially charged issue
racebending.com
Formation of Racebending.com
racebending.com
Awareness: Grassroots Education
• Began at media conventions, informally.
• Presented at college campuses.
• Began holding formal panels at media conventions.
racebending.com
The Benefits of Fandom
• Reaches people who normally would not become involved in political issues
• Results in a very diverse membership base
• Teaching opportunity for people who are completely unfamiliar with ethnic studies
racebending.com
Challenges of Fandom
• Entrenched individuals who resist all criticism of their passion
• Supporters often lack a deep understanding of the issues
• Easy to dismiss media as irrelevant
racebending.com
• Being critical is part of being a fan.
• Thinking deeply about media is fun.
• Even pop culture meant to be mindless can have a social impact.
Fostering Dialogue with Fans
racebending.com
Leveraging the Membership
• Coordinated followers on Twitter, Facebook, and Livejournal.
• Direct and indirect contact with news organizations got attention.
racebending.com
Attracting the Press
racebending.com
What Worked For Us
• Always keep the main message in mind.
• Have a list of talking points, backed by one or two hard-hitting numbers.
• Use transition phrases to avoid sound bytes that damage your message.
racebending.com
Online to Offline Action
racebending.com
Live Social Media at Events
racebending.com
Social Media as an Organizer
racebending.com
Connecting people
racebending.com
Top Related